Applied Mathematics and Computation Seminar
Some theoretical and practical aspects of information flow in complex dynamical systems
Richard Kleeman, Courant Institute of the Mathematical Sciences, NYU

The flow of uncertainty within a complex dynamical system is a problem of significant practical interest. For example in the problem of prediction, uncertainty in the initial conditions of the appropriate dynamical system flows through the system as time increases and governs the uncertainty in any particular prediction. In this talk we review various empirical measures of this flow which have been proposed in the context of simple dynamical systems. In addition we discuss a new formalism of flow introduced by the speaker and co-workers. This latter formalism involves the interpretation of entropy evolution equations in the context of dynamical systems which have a natural decomposition into two components. In the last part of the talk we will discuss the practical application of these ideas to a problem that is as yet unsolved: The optimal design of observing networks to reduce the error in "important" atmospheric predictions.

Refreshments at 3:45

4:00pm–5:00pm, Tuesday, December 8, 2009 in LGRT 1634

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